antic

＂Grief doesn’t kill, love doesn’t kill; but time kills everything, kills desire, kills sorrow, kills in the end the mind that feels them; wrinkles and softens the body while it still lives, rots it like a medlar, kills it too at last.＂

-Aldous Huxley, Antic Hay (1923)

Antic Hay (1923) is one of Aldous Huxley’s early novels and takes a satirical look at post-World War I London. The author pokes at the stuffy British society of the time and the protagonist, Theodore Gumbril’s struggle for approval amidst gossipy, bohemian characters. Gumbril even goes so far as to disguise himself in order to overcome his shyness. Deemed immoral by some because of its discussion of sex, the book has been banned and burned. Readers who are fans of Huxley’s work and thought-provoking satire will enjoy this comedic tale set in the early twentieth century.